JOHOR BARU, July 2 — Kulim Pineapple Farm (KPF), which comes under Kulim (M) Bhd, plans to penetrate the European market this year.

It was currently in discussion to export to Germany and in the process of obtaining the GLOBALGAP certification for good agricultural practices, KPF general manager Mohamad Yami Bakar told Bernama.

In the first three months of this year, KPF exported 122 tonnes of the MD2 pineapples to three countries — China, Japan and Turkey — involving seven containers.

Mohamad Yami said KPF targeted to produce 5,800 tonnes of fresh pineapples this year.

"Fifty per cent of the fruits will be for the domestic market and 30 per cent would be for export, while 20 per cent would undergo an original equipment manufacturing (OEM) process (such as to produce juice),” he said at the KPF Collection, Processing and Packaging Centre in Ulu Tiram here today.

This was in conjunction with a visit from Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee and his deputy Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah.

Mohamad Yami said KPF was committed to increase its production through a programme to plant a minimum of five to seven hectares monthly which began early last year.

To-date, it has commercially cultivated 359 hectares of MD2 pineapples in Ulu Tiram and Tanah Abang near Mersing.

Earlier, Kiandee witnessed pineapple fertilisation activity using the boom sprayer at the farm. — Bernama